Plum and Rhubarb Crisp

I’m not sure if I just returned from lunch, or if I was privy to a top-secret breeding ground for a race of super attractive people, that also happen to be amazing cooks. When I walked into the home of Rachel Allen, who’d invited a few of us traveling through Ireland for lunch, I was stunned by A) The stunning kitchen, b) The stunning view, and C) The stunning people.

Rachel is a wildly popular cook in Ireland; the driver of our mini-van almost lost his Guinness when she came out, and her programs are now being broadcast in America. She’s not yet made it to France, but if there’s any better ambassador for the terrific modern food of Ireland, Rachel is it. Her mother-in-law, Darina Allen runs the famed Ballymaloe Cookery School, just a short drive away. And all of the produce in her kitchen comes from their abundant, lush organic gardens.

Lunch began with Isaac, her broadly smiling husband, releasing a tray of Cheese and Herb Scones from the thick iron baking sheet. The dark metal turned any bit of errant cheese that happened to slide off during baking into crunchy caramelized bits. Of course, he and I dove on them as fast as we could. (Although I’m a little surprised I could eat anything with my mouth agape.)

I was a little disheartened to find out we were having a “light lunch”, which was going to feature soup. And potato soup at that. Was this the luck of the non-Irish?

But oh my goodness me, this steaming bowl of soup was the best soup I’ve ever had in my life. Actually it was one of the tastiest dishes I have ever eaten in my life. Period.

She called it Potato-Thyme Leaf Soup, in that particularly Irish way of giving something simple as thyme a little bit o’ nobility, making it worthy of the status of being in the highly esteemed ‘leaf’ family. But I like leaves, so why not? When I asked what exactly was in this bowl of whiteness I was spooning up faster than it was cooling, Isaac said, “They’re potatoes from the garden, Irish cream, and a lot of butter.” Then he concluded, “If I told you how much butter, you wouldn’t eat the soup.”

I don’t know if that’s true, but with the parsley pesto made with plenty of garlic swirled around the island of double-cream in the midst of all this potato goodness, I had no trouble scraping this hottie clean.

While I ate, I kept gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling picture window, overlooking a large body of water with an old Irish castle in the distance, am was thinking to myself, “Good lord, if I was Rachel, I would just sit on the couch all day filing my nails, look out the window, have my husband feed me, and let my assistant do the dishes. And reflect on how fantastic life truly is.”

Speaking of assistants, if I had room in my carry on, I’d definitely try to squeeze in Josh, who was speeding around the large wooden kitchen counter island, pulling things out of the oven, poking scones to see if they’re done, and cutting seedy oat and apricot bars into squares which he wrapped for us to take later on, for the road.

Even though he’s an import from England, he adopted that wonderful sense of Irish hospitality of Rachel and Isaac, and he came bounding over to me to say hi, having just finished doing an internship at Chez Panisse. With all the gorgeous produce everywhere and the smell of searing Irish butter permeating the entire kitchen, I could see the connection and why he was so happy. On the other hand, for a strapping young lad, I’m not sure a apron with all that pink really suited him. But I’m sure he’s a charmer in, or out of, an apron.

For dessert, we had a perfect Plum and Rhubarb Crisp. I’ve had a zillion crisps in my life, but this one was fragrant and bubbling, and I couldn’t wait for Rachel to finally break through the top. But as good as it was, this dessert had one little nod áisiúil that took it over the top. Which even Josh couldn’t resist.

Just under the crisp topping was a thick layer of warm plums bits and tart rhubarb, both from the gardens at Ballymaloe (the rhubarb was the last of the season, so it was kind of them to splurge on it for me). Rachel said, “Now if Darina was here, she’d say—’You simply cannot eat crisp without double-cream on top!'”

The thick cream, which could stand up a spoon, was indeed the right choice as an accompaniment. But what really made it special, and something I never would of thought of, was they’d passed around a small bowl of soft brown muscovado sugar to sprinkle on top. I was perplexed at why you would sprinkle more sugar over an already sweetened topping. But I did as I was told (including the double cream…and Darina was right) and the sugar did add a lovely molasses-like contrast to the crisp. And it brought to mind how we often use a finishing salt over foods, added just at the last moment, even though the food may already be seasoned.

I was certain that John and Isaac were going to have to fetch a crowbar to get me out of here, but Rachel stood on the steps of her home to say goodbye. If I was blessed with rugged Irish good looks, perhaps they’d let me stay in the kitchen with them, plucked pits from plums, chopping thyme leaves, and spooning Irish cream over everything in sight.

But it was time to go to visit the garden. I wasn’t sure if I could ask them to stay, and discover the secret of their wonderful cookery, their welcoming Irish hospitality, or their other secrets.

It’s probably late in the game for me to learn any more of the Irish language than a few words, if I had any hair left, it would not likely be blond and beautiful, and I don’t really look good in pink. And let’s face it, I’m not the sweetest person in the world. But I’m content and happy to have a new fruit crisp recipe in my repertoire, with a spoonful of sugar on top.

When Rachel made this for us, she didn’t use either the cardamom or the ground cinnamon, so you can either add them or not. This is a lovely, simple dessert, and if plums or rhubarb aren’t in season where you are, you could adapt it to other fruits as well.

4. Meanwhile make the topping. Mix together the dry ingredients and add the 14 tablespoons of melted butter, mixing quickly but lightly to form a crumbly texture.

5. Remove the broken cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Transfer the fruit mixture into a 2 quart (2l) low baking dish, then scatter the crispy topping on top. Do not press it down or it will get mushy. Scatter a tablespoon of granulated sugar on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.

(You may want to put a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack until the crisp in the oven to catch any bubbling juices.

6. Remove from the oven when the top is deep golden brown and you can plunge a paring knife into the middle and the knife meets no resistance, indicating the fruit is fully cooked.

Serve warm, with a bowl of thick cream and another bowl of muscovado sugar, for guests to add themselves.

Kerrygold! That’s the only good butter I can find in my neck of the woods and it is awesome even simply spread on bread.
The plum and rhubarb crisp looks really delicious. Too bad it’s way past rhubarb season here, I would’ve loved to try this recipe.

I love Rachel Allen! She seems so down to earth and makes the loveliest food. I hope that soup recipe is in her book!!

Karen

September 17, 2010 6:51pm

Oh, gosh. Some of the best food I have ever had was at Ballymaloe. The butter! the comforting fruit desserts! And the seafood! I hope you had a good walk on the strand afterwards to help all of that food settle.

This crisp recipe reminds me so much of my great grandmother. She would always serve us delicious crisps with all manner of fruits from her yard on her farm in Canada, and would ALWAYS serve it warm with fresh cream and extra sugar on top. She served pie the same way as well (no ice cream allowed). In fact for supper she would often give just a poached egg with a little salt, pepper and fresh herbs served on a toasted and buttered piece of homemade bread and for dessert, warm crisp with lots of cream and sugar! Amazing! Thanks for bringing back those memories!

We were in Ireland this summer and I am missing it something fierce!! I know exactly what you mean about the views – I swear my neck was sore for weeks after we returned!!! I love serving crisps with the cream and sugar when I can get that wonderful heavy cream – not easy to come by in area so its a grand occasion when I can get it!!
Thank you for posting such a great story – it helped assuage my longing for Ireland!

That was a lovely day. I believe Irish soups are the best and for sure the cream and butter do “things” to their recipes. Hope to get back to Ireland soon after reading this wonderful story.

Mike

September 17, 2010 7:46pm

David, not related to this post but I couldn’t find a forum on your website. Maybe you should start one?

I have been trying to find a substitute for eau de fleur d’oranger for a Calissons recipe I’m attempting. Being in the US needless to say I couldn’t find the melon confit or the orangettes, so I did myself. But I can’t figure out the fleur d’oranger. Can I just use orange extract in smaller quantities?

Yummi…Everything looks delicious, I wish she could give you the recipe for the Soup…but I think I might have to search some of her books…I’m jealous about that butter I wish I culd have one of those in Mexico.
Saludos from Mexico (still celebrating the Bicentennial of Independence)…. :*)

I love that you sounded so totally pleased with your visit in Ireland I love to have places exceed my expectations.

We have a little produce and international food market here in San Jose that sells imported double cream or clotted cream. It’s so expensive, though, I don’t know that I could serve it over a simple crisp or cobbler..it seems almost too special to use! So, instead, I mix a little heavy cream with some mascarpone cheese and use that. It’s pretty darn good!

Marie M.C.

September 17, 2010 10:58pm

Please Rachel, can we have your potato soup recipe?

Irish potatoes are very special and have a taste I haven’t found in American potatoes. But with a sufficient quantity of cream and butter (love Kerrygold) maybe we can come close. I’m enjoying your TV program — many thanks!

I LOVE Rachel Allen – I watch her baking show and always have excellent luck with everything she suggests – she is a great teacher! I was lucky enough, last year, to be in E. Dehillerin buying some pots and she was filming a segment for her Irish show about how to stock a basic kitchen. I had no idea, at the time, who she was but I thought she was awfully pretty and she had the most lovely accent. It was a nice moment! (and the E. Dehillerin guys were talking about how hot she was behind the counter!)

I love many of Rachel Allen’s recipes. Simple, straightforward and rewarding. Her soups are particularly good as I have tried a number of them.
That butter is the best! Kerrygoooold!
That pantry is well stocked or what?
Magda

Wow, you’re right — EVERYTHING in this post is beautiful. I mean EVERYthing. This is the first I’ve heard of Rachel. You mention she’s now on US TV. Is she on PBS? I haven’t seen her on either of the FoodNetwork channels, but I suppose I may just have missed the phenomenon.

Hmmmm, she says looking at the last 8 stalks of her rhubarb, “That would be a fitting farewell to summer.” And I will add my voice to the choir and dream that the potato soup with thyme recipe lands in my inbox.

Thank you so much for this post! I just came into a blessing of organic plums and rhubarb, AND it is featuring two of my favorite food deities. I teach baking in high school and have been using your blog as well as Rachels’ show ‘Bake’ to inspire my students. Ohhhh how I envy you, living in Paris, touring Ireland and visiting with Rachel…….ahhhh. Time to bake!

Sweet Freak: They do say “crumble” here, but I prefer crisp. But it was indeed delicious and I never through of mixing rhubarb and plums either.

shelleyorama: I’ll get back to you on that! : )

Mike: I had a forum when I started the site but they need monitoring and the spammers eventually find them as well, so the comments are best. I don’t know how much orange flower water the recipe you are using calls for, but it is a particular flavor. Orange extract might be one option (diluted) or you could try orange bitters, which are sold in liquor stores or pure orange oil, which is wonderful stuff. (But really strong.)

Deborah: Apparently her book, Bake is coming out in the stores next year. I haven’t seen her program because they don’t broadcast it in France (the food shows there are mostly not very good…) but I loved meeting her in person. Like everyone in Ireland I’ve met, they’ve been terribly nice. And much better-looking that I could have imagined!

Reminds me of my time at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Finished the 12 Weeks Certificate Course in July. The potato and thyme leaf soup was one of our first recipes there. Thanks for taking me back!

Amanda Bankert

September 18, 2010 10:25am

Hi David,
Are you coming to Dublin? I work as a pastry chef here (been in Ireland 6 years, was in Paris for 3 years before that – originally from Washington, D.C.) and I would LOVE to grab a quick coffee or something if you had time? I know your schedule is probably crammed full of stuff, but even if you just need some suggestions of places to go I’d be happy to suggest some lovely spots….Anyway, hope to hear from you – if not, enjoy the Emerald Isle!!
All the best,
Amanda

When we were in Ireland last September, I was amazed that rhubarb was in season (as were strawberries, from the coast). It’s only a spring plant here (in the US); gotta love that Gulf Current!

Jessica

September 18, 2010 2:55pm

David, this post brought such a big smile to my face. I didn’t know you were here in Ireland, but it’s wonderful to hear you heap such praise on Rachel and Irish cooking at its best. I hope you made it to Cafe Paradiso as well while you were in Cork.

Amanda, I don’t know if David has time to meet you for coffee, but I’m in Dublin, too, and I certainly will! :) Email is stone[dot]jessicad[at]gmail[dot]com if you want to.

Best read I’ve had all week. Nothing like chiseled Irish chins in pink aprons. Or that soup (recipe? forthcoming?!?!)

But rhubarb crisp, holy cow. I’ve never liked its usual Yankee sidekick strawberries (too wobbly when cooked), typically tucking in raspberries instead. But plums? Genius. And cardamom? Always. Printing, immediately, then off to the farmer’s market…

AlexC

September 18, 2010 4:18pm

I once lived near Ballymaloe for a year (where I was known locally as “The Yank”) and I can say it’s hard to resist the charm of the Irish. They are some of the funniest, most down to earth people you’ll ever meet. And they can cook!

AlexC: Ballymaloe is indeed special and I have a bunch of stories from my visit, which I’ll be sharing once I get to a where I can write more, and have WiFi!

Amy: During the switch to a new server, and to a new blogging platform, a number of things changed that I’m working on fixing which are substantial, just to keep the site running. I normally publish a partial feed with pictures, and I hope to get that back up and going once the more major problems are worked out.

Jessica & Amanda: I was in Dublin briefly but only because Air Lingus canceled my flight and re-routed me to Dublin, then I had to drive 3+ hours to Cork. I do hope to come back to Ireland because it really is a special place and the people are truly, truly lovely (as is the food!)

Cindy: I haven’t seen the link but it’d probably be difficult to replicate the soup elsewhere because of the special flavor of Irish butter and the cream they use, as well as the potatoes from Ballymaloe. And I do believe Isaac when he said the amount of butter was alarming : 0

the gram and ml amounts seem okay. However, there is are conversion errors for the butter, the stock and the cream.
To 1 lb chopped onions and 1/2 pound chopped potatoes, use 2 ounces butter, 1 or 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. After sweating, add 1 quart stock and simmer, liquidize, and finish with 5 fluid ounces of cream.
I hope this helps.

I loved reading this mouth watering post. As an American foodie who lives on an 18th Century Irish farm I have always been inspired by Rachel Allen..met her at and Isaac at O’Brien Chop in Lismore, Co Waterford (the Green’s of Ballyvolane House run it and it is incredible as well) really lovely people.
Divine post and recipe, thank you. x

Becky

September 18, 2010 8:46pm

Regarding the link in the comments to the soup recipe — the pint information is incorrect. If you convert from the mL given, it’s roughly 3.8 cups of stock and 2/3 cup cream (236.6mL = 1C).

I’ll take a particularly attractive English boy in a pink apron over soup, scones, or crisp any day. But since I can’t have him, how about that scone recipe?

Margaret

September 18, 2010 9:48pm

here is a link for her leek, potato, and blue cheese soup — I think it is from her latest cookbook

Of course everything tastes good with tons of butter, cream and sugar. A 10 year old could figure this out.

Kat

September 18, 2010 9:55pm

I MUST find this scone recipe!!!!

Ever since Cafe Cacao in Berkeley closed (it was attached to the Sharffen Berger Chocolate factory, which was moved to Illinois or something), I’ve been searching for a cheddar chive scone that could hold a candle to Cacao’s. In the year that I’ve been hunting, I have yet to find one……..It’s becoming an obsession!

David, is there any way of getting your hands on it?? Please???

I googled “rachel allen cheese and herb scones” and it gave me nothing.

Kat: The recipe she made, she told us, was the “Herb” variation of the White Soda Scones, in the same book that this recipe is from (linked in the post), on page 90 of her book. So you can find the recipe there!

denise: She had a great panty, doesn’t she?

Ann K

September 19, 2010 12:15am

Great post. Hope you write more from Ireland!

BTW, Trader Joe’s stores here in US stocks Kerrygold Butter at great prices.

I am a brand new reader and am so glad I’ve come by. Thank you for letting us know where to find the recipe for the scones, I have a lunch coming up and am serving a butternut squash bisque – would like to make the scones to go with.

Beautiful post! You can just feel the warmth coming out of the kitchen through your pictures. The bumps and unevenness of the scones make them all the more appetizing… (almost) makes me long for a cold, soup and scone-filled day!

Cris

September 19, 2010 2:36pm

The soup recipe! Seriously – the soup recipe, please!

You do too good a job describing how delicious it is to leave us hanging. Can she welcome your readers to her website with the recipe? I’m willing to be bribed.

While I appreciate people wanting her soup recipe, since I was a guest in her home, it was kind of Rachel to let me share this recipe (which I enjoyed very much), and I don’t have any other recipes of hers, except the ones in the book she gave me as a gift, which is mentioned in the post.

If you want to see if you can get the recipe, you can visit her Facebook page or her website, Rachel Allen and perhaps she can share it with you, or point you to where it is available because I don’t have it.

For those of you looking for the scone recipe, it’s in her book mentioned in the post, which I adapted this recipe from.

Consequently any further requests for the recipe, I’ll remove because I can’t help you out I’m afraid. And it’s best to inquire at the source. -david

Kat

September 19, 2010 4:45pm

Lovely, thank you David. A quick scroll through the recipes in her book makes me think that it would be a wonderful investment!

NickMontreal

September 19, 2010 4:56pm

Great read, thanks David…. oh how I miss cream and butter from across the pond! :-(

Bernadette

September 19, 2010 7:54pm

Glad you are enjoying Ireland David! Sounds like a perfectly lovely day you had with Rachel and the photos of you both are terrific.

I love this post, David. Thank you for generously sharing with us the humor and good food. And I’ll take an order of Josh, please. I need an assistant, and I certain I could track down an apron in a more suitable hue.

Ballymaloe and the Allen family are of course the most famous food people in Ireland but as I discovered recently there is a wealth of absolutely fabulous food an cooking in the most unexpected and unpublicized parts of Ireland. I am on a voyage of discover.

I recently started watching Rachel Allen’s show here on PBS and I’ve come to so look forward to her shows. She is so elegant and down to earth and her style is sincere and honest. She makes everything she makes look so easy and, of course, delicious!
Her kitchen looks fabulous …and that view…WOW!

Thanks so much for sharing the crisp recipe, David! I hadn’t heard of Rachel Allen’s shows before this post but now I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for them, for as you said, everything that came out of that kitchen looked scrumptious.

I love Rachel Allen.. Watch her show religiously. I would have LOVED to spend a day with her :) Eagerly awaiting the upcoming posts with recipes you’ve got from her!

Helen

October 1, 2010 9:36pm

I made the crisp last night and it was excellent, thanks for the fab recipe!! I had to bake mine for a little longer than 25 minutes, it was closer to 45 for the topping to cook through, but really great flavors (especially for frozen rhubarb)

rose

October 4, 2010 11:45pm

Love it…of all the photos I’ve seen on your site…these were the most “catalog-esque”. I felt like I was looking at the Sundance Catalog (rugged natural beauty and all)…shot on location in an Irish kitchen!!